Mobile sling for crippled animals



March 27, 1951 c c, ER, JR 2546,726

MOBILE SLING FOR CRIPPLED ANIMALS Filed Sept. 30, .1948

Carl 6. Creamer, Jr.

INVENTOR.

BY gfi i Patented Mar. 27, 1951 MOBILE SLING FOR CRIPPLED ANIMALS Carl C. Creamer, J12, Washington, D. Application September 30, 1948, Serial No. 52,023

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel rollable suspensorytype sling which is especially, but not necessarily, adapted to enable cripple pets, such as dogs and cats, to ambulate sufficiently to satisfy ordinary indoors, and limited out-of-doors requirements of daily exercise and activity.

Due to certain injuries, obesity attending old age, paralysis and other crippling and handicapping conditions, dogs, for instance, become lame and lose the use of their hind legs and so injured they are unable to walk and romp about. If so restrained against minimum exerlcise, activity and motivation, a dog soon becomes hopelessly incapacitated and grieves itself to death. Many are those instances in which valuable pets have been'lost and, as a humane step, I have discovered the need for a mechanical aid or contrivance, corresponding to crutches for the human, but mobile {fora dog, whereby through the use thereof, an otherwise immobile animalis enabled under its own will and power to get around and about despite the stated difficulties.

More specifically, in reducing to practice a preferred embodiment of the invention, I have evolved and produced a simple, economical and efiicient contrivance or appliance which invokes the use, as a principal part, of a canvas sling,

said sling being saddled or harnessed upon the desired portion of the crippled animals body and being suspended in and by a carriage or other mobile support, whereby to elevate the hind legs and rear portion of the body sufficiently clear of the ground to permit the animal,

using his, front leg s,'to move about withacceptable facility.

Another object of the invention has to do with a mechanical aid for a dog or the like which has to do with the use of a freely rollable wheeled carriage or equivalent support, the latter having a'sling for convenient reception of the hinder- I quartersof the animal, said sling being applied and appropriately attached in such a way that while the carriage elevates and suitably supports the animal, the leg is nevertheless free" to ride clear above the ground or in light movable contact with the same depending on the nature of the injuries present.

' More explicitly, and in its preferred embodi- "ment, the invention has to do witha canvas or equivalent sling having holes therein for passage of either the hind, or front, legs of the dog whereby the body portion of the dog may be saddled in the sling and the sling attached -by harnessing straps said'sling beingdetachably mounted on a wheel-supported carriage which is such as to enable the dog to cart the injured portion -of his body-under the power and action of his freely available (front or rear) legs.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

. Inthe drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

, .Figurel is a side elevational view of a sling -or. ambulatory mechanical aid for a dog con- .structed in accordance with the present invention and showing construction of same and the manner in which it is applied and used;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure-l, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the appliance per se with a portion broken away and with theharnessing straps fragmentarily shown; I I

Figure 4 is a perspective viewv of the carriage framework.

Referring now to the drawings by reference numerals and lead lines, itwill be seen that the I rollable support or, more specifically, the wheeled carriage, embodies a suitably constructed lightweight metal or equivalent framework 6 of the type illustrated in Figure 4. The frameworkis made up of two opposed parallel triangular frame sleeves H and I2. The numerals l3 designate 401 the numeral l4 designates a substantially rigid units, each including horizontal frame members 1 and 8 and converging braces 9 and Ill. The braces are attached to and depend from the frame members i and 8; and at their converging ends they are provided with guide and assembling snap fasteners on the horizontal members, and

longitudinally bowed connecting strap whichi joins the two frame units in the stated parallelism. The rubber tired wheels [5 are mounted for idling on the'substantially J-shaped rods l6 and [1. These rods are duplicates of one another, and as shown in Figure 2, have their main linearly straight portions slidable vertically in the sleeves l2. The lower out-turned end portions l8 constitute journals on which the wheels are mounted for rotation. It will be noticed-that the vertical shaft portions of the rods are provided with grooves I!) which serve as key-ways for key-forming set screws Z0 car- .ried by the Istatedsleeves. 1'

/ make it possible to remove and wash it.

"ment or the rear legs. "the top of the frame fasten. the animal's body The adjustable framework of the carriage serves as a satisfactory and convenient means to accommodate the canvas or equivalent body saddling sling 21. The longitudinal edge portions of the sling are provided with snap fasteners 22 which are engaged with the aforementioned snap fasteners l3. Not only do the frame members 1 and 8 funct on to releasably carry the sling, but they also function. to accommodate straps 23' and which straps, in turn,

serve to harness the sling on the body of the animal. The sling is provided with oval or equivalently shaped openings 25 to accommodate the hind legs of the dog, in. the manner shown. Thus, the sling is applied partly to the; legs and fastens primarily against thduhdersid'e of the body. The cross-piece IE is not intended tocome into pressure contact with the body and.

is merely a connector between the two triangular frame units of the overall framework, as is obvious. The sling may be raised up and down,

7 as desired; that is to say, the horizontal plane of the sling may be varied to suit circumstances, whereby the feet of the rear legs are propelled clear and above the ground or other surface.

Or, the feet maybe lowered so that they e ther lightly or fully contact the surface; depending on hearing requirements and cond tions. It is, of course, difficult toclassify the different tvpes of injuries" and handicaps which may prevail to render the instant appliance aptly useful as a mechanical. aid and tender. It is believed, however, that there are sufficient difiiculties met in th s line of endeavor where the appliance may beuse'd indefinitely or temporarily, as circumstances' require, to be of considerable service to .a lame or crinoled' doe. o an mal. In

practice, if desired, an additional breast strap the leg holes and yet not having the full weight of his body on his legs.

The canvas sling' will be removable from the frame by sna fasteners, or clip-0n fasteners to The framework is to be of any substantial lightweight metal with adjustable legs, either to be made so by a thumb screw' at the socket, or else to have the wheel strut threaded through the socket with a lock nut on the top of the socket and on the bottom. to tighten to keep the wheel in adjustment to the hei ht of the an mal, and to keep them in alignment. A metal band on the front bottom fastening the two side frames rigidly together will keep the wheels in sling for the freedom of the dogs body in movement. Other braces may be added to strengthen the two sides, but none may inhibit the move- Two leather straps at into the sling, and theicanvas side'smust comemore than half-way of the animal to make it more comfortable and have full benefit of its purpose of a sling; still having the animal secured but not tightly bound by the straps and sling. The general purpose of this invention is for strictly humane purposes and shall be so con structed as to simplicity, lightweight, sturdy and as comfortable to the animal as possible.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description corriunction with theinvention as illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader to obtain a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sulficien-tto clarify the construction of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice so lon as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

Having described theinvention, what is claimed as-new is:

1. An ambulatory-typemechaninal for crippled dogs. and the like comprising an abdominal embracing suspensory-type: canvas sling provided, at one end portion, with leg openings, a pair of wheel-supported frame units, opposite endv portions of said sling being detachabl y connected with said units, a substantially rigid strap rnember'connecting said units in spaced parallelism, said strap member being longitudinally curved, and harnessing straps, said straps being adjustable and connected with said frame units andbeing adapted to extend across the back of the dog, whereby to permit the: body of the dog to be strapped and cradled in said sling between the frame units, with the legs of the dog extending through said leg openings.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, said strap member being of a degree: of curvature relative to the abdomen of the dog toarch beneath said abdomen fully free of contact with latter.

3. As a component part of a mobile conveyance of the class shown and described, a frame structure comprising a pairof substantially triangular frame units embodying horizontal frame members adapted: to support a; canvas sling therebetweeh, diverging braces connected with said frame members, sockets secured rigidly between the converging end portions of the respective braces said sockets being adapted to accommodate adjustable wheel-equippedstruts, and a substantially rigid longitudinally bowed strap member connected at opposite ends to corresponding end portions of said frame units andadapted to maintain the frame units in spaced parallelism in respect to each other..

4. An animal propelled and self-steered. am- Toulatory mechanical aid for a. crippled dog comprising a. framework embodying a pair of. opposed vertically disposable rigid frame'units, each. frame unit embodying a horizontal bar member. provided with snap fasteners and further. including coasting braces and socket members carried ,by

, being adjustably connectedvrith loopedbetweenthe units to provide a saddle to suspend: the abdominal portion of the dog, and

5 6 being provided at an end, opposite to said strap Number Name Date member, With leg openings. 1,176,876 Vartabedian Mar. 28, 1916 CARL C. CREAMER, JR- 2,176,551 Solem Oct. 1'7, 1939 w n 2,190,691 Wolfe Feb. 13, 1940 RENCES CREE) I 5 7 OTHER REFERENCES 3 3;; gfii ifi are of record m the Washington Star; May 28, 1936, page A-3 (Copy in Div. 5).

UNITED STATES PATENTS Washington Times-Herald; July 9, 1939, page Number Name Date 10 4 of magazine section (Copy in Division 5).

833,119 Buckingham Oct. 9, 1906 

